As February approaches, it’s time to turn our attention to what’s next for Samsung. The tech company is gearing up for its next Unpacked event on February 1, and the Galaxy S23 lineup is expected to be the star of the show.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 range includes some of our best phones of 2022. The base S22 impressed as a more affordable option, the S22 Plus is a superb all-rounder, while the almighty S22 Ultra blew us away with its stellar photography skills. We even gave the Plus and Ultra CNET Editors’ Choice Awards.
If Samsung keeps the model it has been following for the past three generations, we can expect to see the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra. We’ll likely know more on February 1st, but here’s what we expect based on rumors, leaks, and previous Samsung product launches. As for what we want to see from the Galaxy S23 lineup, longer battery life and smarter camera features are at the top of my list.
Galaxy S23 release date
Samsung is likely to announce the Galaxy S23 series during its next Unpacked event on February 1, which will be held in San Francisco. The announcement of the event follows previous leaks, including this report from Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily suggesting an early February launch for the Galaxy S23. A January 6 tweet by noted leaker Ice Universe also claims to show a Galaxy Unpacked teaser image dated February 1.
Whether the phones will be available in stores for purchase this month is another matter, as global supply chains are still struggling and there could be a longer delay than usual. But Samsung is already offering promotions for US customers who want to reserve a phone early. You’ll receive $50 in Samsung credit if you sign up to reserve one device, or $100 if you request to reserve two.
The S22 Ultra had some stiff competition this year, including from Google’s Pixel 7 Pro.
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Galaxy S23 models and sizes
We strongly expect Samsung to continue its strategy of releasing multiple phone models, each with different specifications and prices to appeal to a wide variety of people. Based on Samsung’s history, we’re confident we’ll see an entry-level Galaxy S23 model, a beefed-up S23 Plus with a bigger screen, and the top-of-the-line S23 Ultra. It’s the Ultra that will feature the best tech, including extra cameras, the biggest display, and almost certainly the S Pen stylus.
The invite for Samsung’s Unpacked event also features what looks like three spotlights, which could be a subtle nod to three new upcoming Galaxy models.
Samsung’s next Unpacked event will be held on February 1. We expect to learn about the Galaxy S23 lineup.
Samsung
Renowned leaker Ice Universe has published a detailed description of the dimensions of the three upcoming phones (via GSM Arena ), which puts them almost exactly in line with the current dimensions of the S22 range. As such, we don’t expect any noticeable differences in the screen sizes of either range over its predecessors.
They were 6.1 inches for the Galaxy S22, 6.6 inches for the S22 Plus and 6.8 inches for the S22 Ultra.
Galaxy S23 price
Assuming Samsung releases multiple models, the S23 range will come in three main price points. We don’t expect Samsung to deviate from last year’s pricing. For reference, the base S22 starts at $800, while the Plus model starts at $1,000, and the high-end S22 Ultra debuted at $1,200 in the US last February.
The S22 range comes in three sizes and we expect the S23 range to as well.
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Galaxy S23 cameras
Cameras appear to be one of the key areas of focus for the new series. This is probably especially true for the Ultra model, which is usually where Samsung’s biggest camera innovations can be found.
We expected the S22 Ultra to include a massive 200-megapixel image sensor, given that Samsung released two of those image sensors and they can be found in other phones. We didn’t see it on the S22 Ultra, but it seems likely that the 200-megapixel sensor will be one of the S23 Ultra’s key bragging rights. Ice Universe also predicts that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will have a 200-megapixel sensor. It remains to be seen if this is the HP1 or HP3 sensor that the company already produces, or a new variant created specifically for the phone.
In our tests, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera performed exceptionally well against both the Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro.
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Samsung’s product pages for these sensors boast improved resolution (obviously), but also improved low-light photography by combining sets of smaller pixels into larger individual ones that can capture more light. The S22 Ultra is already one of the best night-time camera phones, beating the Pixel 7 Pro in our recent tests, so it’s exciting to hear a further burst of its low-light prowess.
That massive resolution will also help with the phone’s zooming skills, which are already impressive thanks to its 10x optical zoom lens. Recent rumors from Ice Universe suggest that the lens lineup will remain the same for all phones, but that extra resolution should help make zoom shots even sharper.
There’s a chance we’ll also see a slight change in camera design, at least on the Galaxy S23 Plus and potentially the Galaxy S23. Rumors from renowned leakers Ice Universe and Steve Hemmerstoffer suggest that the new devices could have circular cutouts for the camera lenses that sit directly on the back of the device, rather than on a camera module. The Galaxy S22 Ultra already has a camera like this, but a leak from Hemmerstoffer suggests this style could make its way to the Plus model as well.
Check out the photos of the Galaxy S22 Ultra alongside the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 below to see what I mean.
Galaxy S22 Ultra (left), Galaxy S22 Plus (middle) and Galaxy S22 (right)
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Galaxy S23 battery, processor and other specs
The Galaxy S23 range will almost certainly use the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. In previous years, Samsung used its own Exynos chips for its European models. But a recent Qualcomm earnings call suggested that Samsung will actually use Qualcomm’s silicon for every phone in the lineup.
As for other specs, we expect a minimum of 8GB of RAM for the base models, with 12GB available for the S23 Ultra. Storage will likely continue to start at 128GB, with higher capacity options available at higher prices. And no, we don’t expect a return of the microSD card slot for memory expansion. Sad face.
The latest FCC certifications show that the base S23 will have a 3,900 mAh battery, a step up from the base S23’s 3,700 mAh, while the S23 Plus will also get a battery boost to 4,700 mAh. There’s no official figure for the Ultra model yet, but again Ice Universe suggests it will have the same 5,000mAh cell size as the S22 Ultra.
We’ll likely know more as we progress through January and get closer to the expected February launch date. But if the rumors turn out to be true, the Galaxy S23 lineup is likely to be a modest step up from the Galaxy S22 family.
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